Dial “M” for Mamie: A Conversation with Mamie Van Doren

One of Hollywood’s most legendary sex symbols of the 1950’s, actress Mamie Van Doren was part of the platinum trinity known as “The Three M’s” – Marilyn, Mansfield and Mamie.  However, as fate would have it, Mamie is the only one of the three left to talk about her Hollywood experience as a sex goddess.  One of the most insightful actresses I have ever interviewed, Mamie sits firmly in the present, taking her memories and playing with them like a cultural historian, and comes up with some of the most remarkable commentaries on classic Hollywood that PCA has ever recorded.  Mamie talks about her career, censorship, her life today and her memories of legends such as Clark Gable, Joan Crawford, Howard Hughes, Rock Hudson and, of course, Marilyn Monroe.  Mamie Van Doren is nothing like I expected she’d be.  She is so much more.  Check out her amazing insights today at PCA!

Little Shop of Corman: A Conversation with Roger Corman

Sam sits down with legendary B film director Roger Corman, who Sam has often described as “the reason I watch the films I watch.”  Over a career spanning more than 50 years and almost 400 films, Corman has created drive-in staples, have mentored some of Hollywood’s most legendary directors and captured the imaginations of movie-goers.    Sam spoke to Mr. Corman from his home in Los Angeles.

At nearly 150 years old, Alice is returning to comic shops, sexier then ever, in Zenescope's latest chapter to Raven Gregory's "Wonderland" series

The literary world’s oldest seven and a half year old is coming to comic book shops this Wednesday like you’ve never seen her before.

For nearly a hundred and fifty years Alice, the heroine of Lewis Carroll’s classic children’s book Alice in Wonderland, has been a fixture on the cultural landscape via books, film, animation and comics.  One of literatures most endearing characters, Alice and all of the colorful characters she encounters, including the Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter and March Hair, the Jabberwocky and the Red Queen, have been reimagined and reinterpreted time and time again.  While some interpretations stick to the innocent fairy tale aspect of Wonderland, others lean towards emphasizing the darker themes of madness that can be found in the original book’s subtext.  In 2007 comic writer Raven Gregory brought a brand new chapter of the Wonderland mythos to life with Return to Wonderland, published by Zenescope Entertainment.  Following the adventures of Alice’s teenaged children Callie and Johnny, Gregory enhanced the horror by creating a darker and deadlier Wonderland then anything seen before in print, and spiced the book up with twisted humor and fetish imagery.  With three dimensional characters, Callie and Johnny wage war against Wonderland, and each other, in a story that pits sanity against madness and good against evil.  Raven Gregory’s Wonderland became an instant cult hit, spawning two more mini-series, continuing Callie’s journey, and a series of one shot specials which further expanded Wonderland itself.

Zenescope Entertainment's "Alice in Wonderland" hits comic shops Wednesday January 25th!

Now, Raven Gregory is finally bringing readers back to the very beginning and reintroducing readers to Wonderland’s original victim, Alice in the latest chapter of his Wonderland series – Alice in Wonderland.  With his own Wonderland mythos as his backdrop, Raven is finally ready to tell his version of what happened to Alice when she fell down the rabbit hole, and how it turned her into the emotionally destroyed woman which readers were introduced to in the first issue of Return to Wonderland.  With art by Robert Gill and covers by a host of top comic professionals, Alice in Wonderland will be the final mini-series in the Wonderland series, leading to a bigger story in the much anticipated Wonderland on-going series coming later in 2012.

One of my favorite writers in the comic book industry today, it is always a pleasure to talk to Raven about his work.  With four comic book series currently in publication, Raven has one of comics busiest minds and biggest outputs.  In fact, Wonderland isn’t the only hit mini-series that Raven is reviving again in 2012.  Raven spoke to me about the return of The Waking which will also be returning later this year.

So let’s pour a cup of tea and let Raven Gregory be our guide down the rabbit hole and into a land of madness, murder and wonder.

CONFESSIONS OF  A POP CULTURE ADDICT PRESENTS

FEED YOUR HEAD:

DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE WITH RAVEN GREGORY

Sam Tweedle:  Now in keeping with the Wonderland series that you’ve already established, the real prequel to your series would have been the source material by Lewis Carroll.  However, you are going back to do an Alice prequel of your own.  What are you doing different with the already established story to make it fit into your distinctive Wonderland world.

The man behind the madness - Zenescope writer and Executive Editor Raven Gregory.

Raven Gregory:  Well a lot of it has to do with the fact that throughout [my] original [Wonderland] trilogy we’ve established this twisted different version of Wonderland from the Lewis Carroll version that everybody is so familiar with.  So when going back to do this actual Alice story, a lot of the mythology that we’ve pulled from is what [I’ve] already established.  You have this sense that Alice was there.  In the Tales From Wonderland one shot [featuring Alice] you get a glimpse of her origin and the fact that she left the remnant of her sanity back in Wonderland, but you never get to play with everything that really happened to her.  Calie was there, essentially, for a very short period of time while Alice was there for much longer, so her story will be more vast and epic in nature.

Sam:  How close did you use the original source material when doing this story?  Did you revisit the Carroll book at all, or are you just taking it in your own direction.

"There are things that have to happen in the story, like the tea party and the croquet game. They have to be in it."

Raven:  There are things that have to happen in the story, like the tea party and the croquet game.  They have to be in it.  When I did the first Return to Wonderland series most of it was pulled from the source material, and as we went to Beyond and Escape we kind of made the world our own.  Now it’s not so much at looking at the source material, but it’s in the confines of the story we’ve already established.  How will the prequel play out and how does Alice’s real origin story and her journey from being this little girl who was sacrificed to Wonderland to becoming what she ends up as at the beginning of Return to Wonderland is the adventure.

Sam:  You’ve created a whole mythos surrounding her family and the generational sacrifice through the mirror.  Will you be doing more with that element of the story?

Raven:  Not particularly.  This story is mainly focused on what happened in Wonderland.  Not so much her story outside of Wonderland because we’ve seen almost all of that.   We’ve explored that [already].  It would just be right for this series to just tell the hidden story that is in Wonderland.  There are a lot of really cool elements that I am really excited to touch upon.  Like, in Return to Wonderland there is no Jabberwocky, but in Beyond he’s a big part of that series.  By the end of Alice you get to see why that is.  It’s something that’s been planned for quite some time and all the pieces just kind of fit.

Sam:  What is your own perception of the character of Alice in your world?

Alice meets the Cheshire Cat: "Essentially, here’s this little girl who is betrayed by two people who she trusts more then anybody else in the world, and she’s growing up in a realm of insanity."

Raven:  Well, one of the things that was fun when I was writing Calie was that in the first series [I was] discovering who the character was so by the time I got to Beyond I knew exactly who she was, and I could explain fluently what she was all about.  With Alice it’s almost like working backwards.  We know how she ends up.  Essentially, here’s this little girl who is betrayed by two people who she trusts more then anybody else in the world, and she’s growing up in a realm of insanity.  Even though there is the separation of her sanity and the part that comes back into the real world, there is still the idea that there is this massive journey for this person who is essentially innocent and virtually childlike but growing up around nothing that makes sense.  To me it’s a story about a lost little girl trying to find herself and put herself back together, but at the same time you know it’s kind of futile.

Sam:  Does that mean that Alice will never find any sort of redemption in the Wonderland you’ve created for her?

Raven:  She does,but it’s a very strange redemption.  When you read the Alice story you see that she is going to make a huge sacrifice that is the kind of sacrifice that changes the way you read everything you’ve read before.  I don’t want to give it away but it’s a pretty big moment.

"We’ve established throughout the entire series that time seems to shift and bend. So when she goes into Wonderland and her sanity is left behind, she’s still a child, but by the time we get into Wonderland she’s a full grown teenager."

Sa m:  Now in the original source material for Alice in Wonderland, Alice is seven years old.  Seven and a half to be totally correct.  How old is your Alice supposed to be?  I mean, on those covers she’s a lot older then seven and a half, not that I’m complaining mind you.

Raven:  In the first issue you see her grow up.  That’s the cool thing about writing a story in Wonderland.  Nothing has to make sense.  We’ve established throughout the entire series that time seems to shift and bend.  So when she goes into Wonderland and her sanity is left behind, she’s still a child, but by the time we get into Wonderland she’s a full grown teenager.

Sam:  Now you have the six issue prequel.  Is this the first of another trilogy, or does this bring us to the beginning of Return to Wonderland?

Raven:  It brings [the story] full circle.

Sam: So in the Wonderland Dream Eater Saga one shot readers saw Calie and Violet again, and it opened a lot of doors for new stories and a lot of new questions.  It was said that Escape from Wonderland was the end of Calie’s journey, but does that still hold true?  Is there more to come for Calie and Violet?

Alice and her daughter Calie. Calie's battle through Wonderland will continue later in 2012 in the "Wonderland" on-going series.

Raven:  Oh yeah.  We have a plot and a plan for all of this.  You are going to see The Red Knight.  He’s definitely going to be back.  It’s been well known for quite some time that we are going to do a Wonderland on-going series.  The Dream Eater story was supposed to lead into the Wonderland on-going series, but what was decided was that before we did the on-going, which will hopefully never end, we’re going to tell Alice’s story first.

Sam:  So let me get this straight.  The plan is that you are going to do the six part Alice story, and then we’ll see a Wonderland on-going starring Calie and Violet?

Raven:  Yes.  You’ll see a Wonderland on-going in 2012.  It’s a wild and crazy story.

Sam:  Meanwhile, you are still writing three other on-going series; Fly, Myths and Legends and The Theater.  I was under the impression you were giving up Myths and Legends.

Raven:  I actually was originally.  I was giving that story up to James Patrick.  He left the Grimm Fairy Tales series for a while and was supposed to take over but there were some schedule conflicts.  So I’m still on Myths and Legends.  The problem with Myths and Legends is that as soon as I’m ready to leave we come up with a new story and I think “Oh no!  Beauty and the Beast!  It’s such a good story!  I have to write that!”

Sam:  There is a rumor out there that you are bringing back The Waking.  Is there any truth to that?

"The Waking" returns in 2012!

Raven:  Yes.  It’s been in talks for a long time.  Originally we weren’t going to do any more Waking.  I wrote it intent on that was the end of it.  There is nothing more.  And it’s pretty closed up.  You can’t kill anymore.  That’s the bottom line.  And then fans kept coming up to me at the shows and saying “There should be more.”  I kept saying “No, that’s the end of it.”  But then somebody said something that sort of sparked and idea and from there on I thought “Oh my God.  That makes perfect sense. We could really make this work.”  So there is a series.  I have the first issue written now and it should be coming out later this year.

Sam:  You have a huge year.

Raven:  Yeah.  Fly will keep going, and The Waking and The Theater and a few other creator owned series that haven’t been announced yet are still in the works now.

Sam:  Just how many books can a guy write?

Raven:  Wow.  I can’t even tell you.  It changes from month to month.  It averages out to three to four scripts a month.  Every once in a while a script will get thrown out of me for no reason, so there is no rhyme or reason.  But it will be about forty books this year.

Sam:  That’s an incredible output from one writer.

Raven:  That’s what happens when you don’t play video games.  The world doesn’t want me to play video games.

The first issue of Raven Gregory’s Alice in Wonderland hits comic stores on Wednesday January 25^th so call your comic shop and make sure that they save you a copy.  Meanwhile, if you haven’t read Raven’s other Wonderland books, not to mention his other series such as Fly, The Waking, The Theater and Myths and Legends, most of these books are available in trade paperback and available here.  Do yourself a favor and order your copies today.  Raven’s books are not necessarily for everyone, but each is a masterpiece in fantasy and horror.  That’s why Raven Gregory was named PCA’s Comic Book Professional of the year.  I’ll be picking up everything Raven puts out this year, and if you want something truly unique make sure to put all of Raven Gregory’s books, as well as the other fine books published by Zenescope Entertainment, on your pull list.  You will not be disappointed.

Two Faces Have Dick: A Conversation with Andy Dick

Andy Dick’s reputation precedes his own career.  As one of the most controversial comedians of the current century, Andy Dick has been a fixture in the news and tabloids for his bad behavior and outrageous antics that have made him a house hold name with the public.  First breaking onto the pop culture radar in the 90’s, Andy had a promising television career, but due to his brushes with the law, and his problems with drugs and alcohol, a stigma has been created around the comedian.  However, with a new film, Division III: Footballs Finest, currently in theaters, Andy is seeking to turn around that stigma and forge a new, and healthier, existence for himself.  In a candid interview Andy talks about his life, his public image, his new film and fatherhood as well as his side to the infamous confrontation with Jon Lovitz in 2007.  Andy Dick is a man with two faces.  Discover them with PCA.  There is more to Andy Dick then you probably think.

BEST OF 2011

TELEVISION

PART 1

No longer satisfied with banal sit-coms, and with reality programs becoming mid-season filler, the audience has had a new lust for good television with superb acting and production value putting television into a new old age.  While the early part of 2011 seemed like a rough year with many of TV’s favorite programs beginning to grow stale and “jump the shark,” new life has been pumped into the TV schedule to the point that hy summer and fall there are so many amazing new shows to watch that we don’t have time to see them all.  These are the best of what we’ve seen

BEST TV SERIES OF 2011 – GAME OF THRONES

Sean Bean, as Lord Eddard Stark, leads a massive cast on HBO's epic medival drama "Game of Thrones"

Game of Thrones is the type of television program that makes you question the overall quality of everything you have seen before.  Based on the Song of Ice and Fire novels by George R.R. Martin, HBO premiered the ten episode premier season of Game of Thrones in the spring of 2011, just as other networks were about to go into finale season.  A heavy handed medieval drama primarily made up of a cast of European stage actors, Game of Thrones might seem like an odd series to capture the imaginations of the North American public, but riding high on the market left behind by the end of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Ring films, Game of Thrones filled the void that other fantasy based programs have failed to capture.  What makes Game of Thrones worth watching is that everything is exceptional.  Absolutely everything.  From the sets to the costumes, to the writing to the large ensemble cast made up of multiple generations of actors, Game of Thrones is like a weekly cinematic masterpiece making its debut on your TV set.  Five years in the making, Game of Thrones is the most brilliant and captivating television series to come on television in decades.

With a large cast of characters made up of primarily European stage actors, "Game of Thrones" makes viewers question the quality of everything they've seen before.

Following the dramas and rivalries of the various noble families of The Kingdoms of Westerns and their quest for the control of The Iron Throne, the first season of Game of Thrones focused on three families – The Stark family who rule the Northern kingdom of Winterfell, lead by patriarch Lord Ned Stark and his wife Catelyn; the Bareathions, lead by King Edward, who currently sits on the throne as the King of the Seven Kingdoms and the cruel and cunning Lannisters, who’s sister Cersie is married to Edward and is the reigning Queen.  Meanwhile, in the background, are Visyeras and Daenerys Targaryen, the excelled children of the previous king who are traveling with a horde of barbarians called the Dathraki who are concocting their own plans to reclaim the throne.  With a sprawling cast of over two dozen characters, multiple sub-plots weave in an out amongst the families, filled with sex, betrayal, war, romance, intrigue, heroism, villainy and every single element imaginable in what is possibly the greatest drama every put on network television.

The first season ended with even more plot threads opening and very little being resolved, with villains in power, loyalties being questioned, heroines in peril, new heroes arising from the dust, a war in full throttle and vengeance being sworn for the deaths of beloved characters.  It would take a novel to explain this series.  You just need to put ten hours of your life away and immerse yourself in the world of Game of Thrones.  Sword and sorcery isn’t my genre of choice, so if you are like me, put away your biases and watch this series.  You have never experienced anything like this.

Peter Dinklage, in the role of Tyrion Lannister, not only won the Emmy and Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor, but is also PCA's Best Television Actor of 2011.

Special shout out goes to Peter Dinklage in the role of Tyrion Lannister.  One of the finest actors in Hollywood, Peter Dinklage has been limited in his roles due to his short stature of 4′ 5″.  Very rarely do parts such as that of Tyrion Lannister come up for dwarf actors, who have historically been limited to bit parts, comedic roles or novelty acts.  However, one of the most intense characters in Game of Thrones, Dinklage’s character has quickly become one of the series’ most multi dimensional characters and a fan favorites, giving Peter Dinklage an opportunity to finally flex his thespian muscles.  Deservingly, Dinklage won both  the Emmy and Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor, making him the first midget to win a major Hollywood award in the history of show business.  PCA congratulates Peter Dinklage on his accomplishment and looks forward to what comes next for him in Game of Thrones, and the future.

BEST GUILTY PLEASURE OF 2011  – REVENGE

Emily VanCAmp stars as Emily Thorne, aka Amanda Clark, in ABC's cult hit "Revenge"

With unbelievable plots and near ridiculous melodrama, it is questionable if ABC’s new hit series, Revenge, could actually be considered a television masterpiece, but there is no denying that every episode becomes a classic, and the writers sure know how to pump out cliffhangers that keep audiences coming back for more.  As a result, Revenge has become the biggest cult hit of the year, and the first “must see” television  of 2011.

Making it’s debut with almost no fanfare, Revenge quickly became a cult hit within weeks purely by word of mouth from a loyal fan base that emerged nearly overnight.  The Count of Monte Cristo meets Beverly Hills 90210, what makes Revenge so appealing to such a broad audience is that it crosses genres, appealing to viewers who enjoys the mystery and intrigue of shows like Lost and 24, but includes enough romance and drama, not to mention one of the sexiest casts on television, to appeal to the Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill audience.

One of the sexiest casts on television, "Revenge" is filled with characters that you love to hate, and hate to love.

Emily VanCamp plays Amanda Clark who returns to the Hamptons years after her father was framed for terrorist activities that caused a flight filled with American passengers to crash by his former employees, the rich and powerful Victoria and Conrad Grayson, played by Madeline Stone and Henry Czeny.  Armed with a fortune and her diabolical cunningness, Amanda takes the alias Emily Thonre and, with the help of weasely cyber-billionaire Nolan Ross (Gabriel Mann), seeks to destroy the lives of everyone that betrayed her father.  Seducing the Grayson’s spoiled, but noble, son Daniel (Joshua Bowman), Amanda/Emily finds her way undetected into the Hamptons elite society, and begins strangling the spiders in their own web one by one.

Destroying lives via deciept, lies and betrayal, Emily Thorne and Nolan Ross are "Revenge's" heroes. If you think that's bad, you should see what the villains have done.

Revenge is made up of a cast of characters who are cruel, angry, dishonest, selfish, spoiled, egotistic and just simply nasty.  The only exception is bar owner Jack Porter, played by Nick Wechesler, who was Amanda’s childhood friend and finds himself attracted to Emily, not realizing she really is.  However, despite the nastiness of the majority of the characters, you judge the characters based on the varying levels of goodness which they come to display.  While the characters, at first glance, seem like cliques, they eventually show three dimensional qualities and shades of grey to their personalities.  For instance, the Grayson’s daughter Charlotte (Christa Allen) begins the series as a spoiled rich girl, but eventually wins over the audience for her own personal misery as a result of being raised by cold and cruel parents.  Her romance with Jack’s smart mouthed younger brother Declan (Connor Paolo) becomes the sweetest sub-plot in the series, making the audience embrace the two instead of loathing them.  Meanwhile, Nolan Ross, while sleazy, self indulgent, arrogant and obnoxious, is possibly the most loyal and likeable of all the characters on the show.  As for Emily herself, her sanity seems to sit in a limbo state between good and evil.  Nobody is what they seem on Revenge, which keeps the audience guessing.

Revenge is what made dramas like Dallas and Dynasty so popular in the 1980’s, but the stakes are higher and the drama far more intriguing.  Popcorn for the brain, Revenge is something that hasn’t even been seen on television before, and although networks will be sure to try, is so original that it can never be reproduced.

BEST RETURNING SERIES OF 2011 – BLUE BLOODS

Tom Selleck stars and the patriarch of the Regan Family in the crime drama "Blue Bloods."

I’m a sucker for television crime dramas, but let’s face it.  The majority of them are all the same.  The plots are, for the most part, interchangeable.  What makes a crime drama special isn’t the premise as much as the actors on the show, and the chemistry between the players.  One of the surprise hits of the 2010-2011 season, Blue Bloods is jammed packed with the right amount of talent and chemistry, delivering an even stronger emotional connection between the characters.  The characters on Blue Bloods aren’t like a family.  They are a family, creating a powerful dynamic unique to the genre.

Following the lives of the Reagan Family, a multi-generational family of New York policemen, Blue Bloods has all the same elements of most crime shows, but where it differs is by having characters who are not only at different places in their career, but have very distinct points of view on the justice system and how crime should be dealt with.  At the head of the family sits Police Commissioner Frank Regan, played by TV veteran Tom Selleck, who not only is forced to deal with the political side of the justice system, but dishes out wisdom to his family.  The rest of the cast consists of former New Kids on the Block Donnie Wahlberg in the role of oldest brother Danny, a police detective who would rather use his fist then police procedures;  Brigit Moynahan  as sister Erin, who works behind the scenes in the district attorney’s office and follows things by the book; Will Estes as idealistic youngest brother Jamie, who sits in the middle of his siblings as a former law student turned rookie cop; and Len Carious as Frank’s father Henry who provides insight from an “old school” perception, as well as provides occasional relief.  Although the family fights crime separately with their own partners and in their own departments, they depend on each other for support and “favors,” as well as debate their various views of the way justice is handled in a weekly Sunday dinner scene which the writers use as a plot device to cleverly bring the cast together.

A suprise hit of 2011, "Blue Bloods" has been able to expand season spanning plots for their successful second year.

With the series being a hit, the writers have been able to create more complex season spanning plots for the second season, including Danny’s reckless behavior on the job creating a wedge in his marriage; Erin becoming involved with an art thief who steals paintings displaced in World War II to return the to the original Jewish owners and Jamie going undercover against the mafia.  Furthermore, the writers have been able to strengthen supporting characters, including Jamie’s loveable partner Sgt. Tony Renzulli played by Nicholas  Turturro, and Erin’s teenage daughter Nicky, played by Sami Gayle, who has the charm and poise to one day become a major leading lady herself.  Possibly the most underappreciated cast member on the series is, without a doubt, Jennifer Esposito who plays Danny’s partner Jackie Curotola.  While often having more scenes then even Tom Selleck, Esposito has barely graduated to co-star status and has yet to make it to the opening credit sequence.  Esposito and Wahlberg, who is quickly becoming television’s best tough guy, have a winning chemistry based on respect and trust without the cluque of sexual tension.  The fact that the Blue Bloods writers allow Danny and Jackie to just be friends is a refreshing element to the series.  With Jackie as the good cop and Danny as the bad cop, Esposito and Wahlberg have become the best crime fighting team on television.

With Criminal Minds no longer packing the punch that it did in previous seasons and CSI being staler the week old bread, Blue Bloods is a welcomed addition to television.  However, it is the family aspect that not only makes this series unique, but also gives it its power.  As television’s best returning series, hopefully there are still plenty of seasons to come from this exceptional program.

Stay tuned for Part 2 this weekend where we look at PCA’s pick for Best Comedy Series, Best Mid Season Replacement and Best Final Season.

The Olsen Twins: Exploitation, Anorexia and the Tragedies to Come

After the revelation that Mary Kate Olsen was battling anorexia in 2004, Sam Tweedle took a analytical look at the career of Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, the lovable twins behind one of the 1990′s biggest money making franchises.  However, was their climb to the top natural, or was it modern child exploitation.  Sam also makes a comparison of the Olsen’s career to that of Shirley Temple, and makes some bold statements and predictions for the future – with a few being hauntingly accurate!

Plenty O’Lana: A Conversation with Lana Wood

Little sister of Hollywood Icon Natalie Wood, Lana grew up in the limelight, starting her own acting career at age 8.  Years later, the little girl now a voluptuous bombshell, she starred opposite Sean Connery in Diamonds Are Forever, creating the unforgettable Plenty O’Toole.

BEST OF 2011

COMICS

PART 2

COMIC PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR – RAVEN GREGORY

With three brand new books and a major cross-over event under his belt, Zenescope Entertainment's Raven Gregory is PCA's Comic Professional of the Year

2011 proved to be a banner year for Zenescope Entertainment’s executive editor and writer, Raven Gregory, one of the busiest comic writers in the industry today.  Known primarily for Zenescope’s Wonderland series, which has become a massive cult favorite amongst comic book fans, Gregory also writes three of the most exciting new comic series of 2011 – Grimm Fairy Tales: Myth and Legends, Fly, and The Theater. He also penned the first issue of Tales From Neverland, featuring Tinkerbelle, and the massive multi-issue Zenescope crossover event, The Dream Eater Saga.

Raven Gregory has one of the most creative minds in comic books today.  He is unusually adept at inventing dark and twisted stories, full of horror, death, and suspense, that cross genres, from horror to fantasy to crime noir to super heroics.  What draws all of these genres together is Gregory’s unique brand of twisted imagery.  But while some writers working in the horror/fantasy genre just fill their books full of sex, violence and gore, Gregory creates three dimensional characters that the audience grows to care about, and intelligent scripts that work on multiple levels.

Raven Gregory was the mastermind behind Zenescope's twelve part "Dream Eater Saga," which for the first time tied the entire Zenescope universe together, and had Gregory writing a variety of different genres under one coherenet plot

Gregory’s true talent was revealed this year with The Dream Eater Saga.  Bringing together all of Zenescopes franchises, which have never been tied together before, under one massive cross over event Gregory wove a multi-layered story, which realistically worked in all of the characters and dimensions from Zenescope’s various books.  Unlike similar projects published by some of the industry’s larger companies, The Dream Eater Saga maintained strong plot that made sense throughout the entire twelve part series.  Gregory managed to shake up the status quo for a number of the series, and set up plots that will continue to affect Zenescope’s entire line of comics throughout 2012 and beyond.

Furthermore, Raven Gregory’s most personal project to date, Fly, is a modern masterpiece that is unlike anything currently being published anywhere.  Gregory bravely used experiences from his past, in regards to a drug addiction that affected himself and his family, to create the backdrop for Zenescope’s first superhero book.  But unlike other superhero books throughout the industry, the people with the super powers in Fly are not necessarily the heroes.  Finally, Raven released The Theater – a horror anthology book which is tied together by a plot about a mysterious movie theater where people go in, but don’t come out. To cap off 2011, Raven Gregory announced his return to the Wonderland universe with a prequel starring Alice Liddle, and has hinted at a sequel to his 2010 mini-series The Waking.  Raven Gregory had a huge output of material in 2011 and each book he wrote proved to be a classic.

What’s really impressive, showing just how hard Raven Gregory works, is the fact that in addition to writing nearly two dozen books last year alone, Gregory is also a single father raising four kids at home!  This should give the comic creators who can’t get their books out on time a bit of a new perspective.  We look forward to seeing what Raven Gregory, possibly the hardest working man in comics, comes out with in 2012.

THE BOOK THAT WE WANT TO HATE…BUT CAN’T – SUICIDE SQUAD

One of the most controversial books of the DCnU, Adam Glass' "Suicide Squad" has caused an uproar amongst fans who don't like the sweeping changes, but it doesn't stop it from being one of the best books being published by DC today.

Not long ago, Suicide Squad writer Adam Glass sent me a note defending his book.  The note stated, “Sometimes change is good.”  People picking up one of the most controversial books that DC put out as part of the DCnU are realizing that Adam Glass just might have a point.

Let’s face it.  Comic book fans hate change.  They like their characters to be the same characters that they grew up with.  Even a small change, like a relationship status or a costume update, can send fans over the edge, triggering rants on message boards and hate mail flooding into the comic book offices from furious fan boys and fan girls who are ready to lynch a writer or artist.  Adam Glass has faced the wrath of comic book fans since he took over DC’s premier villain oriented book, Suicide Squad.  Best known for his work on TV’s Supernaturals, Adam Glass erased years’ worth of Secret Six continuity.  He revamped the fan favorite, Harley Quinn, from a whimsical cutie pie into a psychotic tramp, made Amanda Waller look more like Halle Berry than Chandra Wilson, and even took away Deadshot’s handle bar moustache.  But, while the changes were extreme and questionable, Adam Glass, with stunning art by Federico Dallocchio, has created a hell of a compromise by putting together the most exciting comic book currently being published by DC Comics!

In one of "Suicide Squad's" most hilarious moments, Glass reintroduced forgotten DC mercanary Wild Dog.

The original concept of Suicide Squad remains intact.  A group of villains on death row are sent on black op missions as expendable agents by the US government in exchange for pardons for their crimes.  Deadshot, King Shark, Harley Quinn, and El Diablo make up the primary team, but time on the Squad can prove to be short; some team members meet their demise after only a handful of issues.  While hard core fans may have a hard time swallowing the extreme changes that he has put into place, there is no denying that Adam Glass is a brilliant storyteller.  He creates exciting situations and adds a dash of humor and intrigue to each issue, which essentially acts as a stand alone book with plots bleeding into the next issue.  Highlights have included saving a baby from a football stadium full of flesh eating mutants; the hilarious, and short lived, reintroduction of forgotten lame assed DC mercenary, Wild Dog; and the return of Captain Boomerang.  No matter how much the fan boy in you wants to hate it, it is just impossible to deny that Suicide Squad is one hell of a read.

Is change good? Glass' all new, all different Harley Quinn has yet to prove popular with her very vocal group of fans. Will his brand new origin of Harley Quinn win them over? Only time will tell.

However, Glass will have a challenge on his hands in 2012 when he gives Harley Quinn an all new origin.  Harley Quinn fans are a vocal and devoted bunch, and Glass’ Harley, although interesting, has proved unpopular with her legion of fans that refuse to look beyond the fact that he has tampered with their favorite character.  Of course, many of them are ignoring the fact that Harley Quinn suffered a major psychotic breakdown at the end of Gotham City Sirens, which could easily explain the character she has become in Suicide Squad.  Yet, it will be interesting to see if Glass’ reworking of Harley Quinn’s origin will finally endear him to the fans, or if it will be his own personal suicide mission.  Personally, I think that if his Harley Quinn story is as good as the individual issues of Suicide Squad have been so far, Glass will be coming back from this one alive.  I still haven’t decided whether change is good, but it is certainly entertaining.  If you have been holding back from picking up Suicide Squad, put your biases behind you and buy this book.  Your inner fan boy is preventing you from enjoying one of the best comics currently being published by DC.

BEST MINI-SERIES OF 2011 – PENGUIN: PAIN AND PREJUDICE; CLOAK AND DAGGER: SPIDER ISLAND; BUTCHER, BAKER, CANDLESTICK MAKER

Trying to pick a single best mini-series from 2011 is like trying to pick out a single favorite Beatles song.  It just isn’t going to happen.  With so many mini-series and company cross-over events taking place, including DC’s Flashpoint and Marvel’s Fear Itself and all their different tie-ins, there were just too many to choose from.  However, three individual books stood out above the rest, working their way to the top of the heap.

"Penguin: Pain and Prejudice" by Gregg Hurwitz and Szymon Kudranski examines the dark and tragic life of one of DC's most iconic villains

From DC Comics writer Gregg Hurwitz and Szymon Kudranski brought classic Batman villain Oswald Cobblepot, aka The Penguin, into the spotlight in Penguin: Pain and Prejudice.  Still the character that fans remember, Hurwitz reexamines the dark and disturbing world of Gotham’s premier crime lord by bringing readers back to Cobblepot’s childhood, where he was tormented by his father and brothers, and how their abuse lead him to be the dangerous and deadly man that he is today.  A character with a checkered history of being treated as both a joke villain and a deadly adversary, Hurwitz adds a new dimension to The Penguin by adding a sense of pathos to the character, creating shades of grey to the nature of his evil.  Presenting him as the ultimate underdog that has had to take extreme measures to stand up to the bullies that have taunted him in the past, the roles of the bully and the underdog start to bleed into the rivalry between Batman and The Penguin in the present.  Meanwhile, Hurwitz adds additional drama into the series as  The Penguin searches for love and acceptance in subplots involving his ailing mother and his romance with a blind woman.  Although still presented as a dark and evil villain, especially via Kudrandski’s bleak yet beautiful artwork, Hurwitz presents The Penguin as a multi-dimensional character, thus endearing him to the reader.  A far more subtle book then the majority of the DC titles released as part of the DCnU, Penguin: Pain and Prejudice is one of the finest single stories that DC put out in 2011 and is a powerful character study of one of the company’s most iconic characters.

"Cloak and Dagger: Spider Island" by Nick Spencer and Emma Rios created stornger seperate voices for the fan favorite duo.

Possibly the biggest surprise hit from Marvel Comics this year was the three part Spider Island tie-in Cloak and Dagger: Spider Island.  Fan favorites since the 1980’s, Cloak and Dagger have had a hard time holding down a regular title for decades, and have been rewritten and revamped numerous times since their debut.  In the latest incarnation of Cloak and Dagger writer Nick Spencer, who has proven his ability to create strong and realistic voices for adolescent characters in Image Comics’ Morning Glories, steps up to plate to put his own unique stamp on the duo.  The story is pretty simple.  Spiderman baddie Mister Negative is told via a fortune teller that one day Dagger will kill him so he seeks out the heroine to kill her first.  But the story is only secondary to the real drama of the story.  Cloak and Dagger: Spider Island is less about good vs. evil as much as it is about the dueling inner voices belonging to Ty and Tandy in what becomes an interesting character study of Cloak and Dagger.  Down on their luck, Cloak and Dagger seem to be slowly drifting in different directions.  Ty, hopelessly in love with Tandy, still holds on to the belief that he and his partner were given their powers for a higher purpose while Tandy, feeling smothered by Ty’s affections, seeks a more normal existence.  The strength of Cloak and Dagger; Spider Island lies in Spencer’s ability to enhance Cloak and Dagger’s individual identities instead of just telling another superhero story.  The mini-series also acts a teaser for things to come, finishing with a twist that changes Cloak and Dagger forever (or at least until Spencer returns to reverse the change at least).  Said to be one of the most popular books Marvel put out last year, it is almost certain that Nick Spencer will be returning on Cloak and Dagger in 2012.

From the pages of "The Boys," Garth Ennis and Derik Robertson finally reveal the life story of the enigmatic team leader Billy Butcher.

With The Boys coming to its big finish in 2012, Garth Ennis finally reveals the origin story of the team’s leader, Billy Butcher in Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker published by Dynamite Comics.  Attending the funeral of his estranged father, Billy Butcher recounts his life story, from an angry young kid in an abusive home, to his days as a soldier in the Falkland Wars and the events that led him to becoming a founding member of The Boys.  But what makes Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker a must read is that fans finally meet Becky Butcher.  Butcher’s deceased wife, who has played such an important part in the comic series’ mythos, Becky finally comes to life as a beautiful and charming woman who had the power to tame the savage beast within Billy’s soul, but whose rape by The Homelander leads to her horrible death.  In classic Ennis style, nothing is held back and Becky’s nightmarish end is painted upon the page in gory shades of red, and the reader feels a true loss at her demise.  An enigma throughout The Boys, Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker finally brings a human element to The Butcher, and validates his relentless hatred for “supes.”  Easily the best of the mini-series to stem out of The Boys, Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker is essential reading as the series heads to what should prove to be a brutal and deadly finale.

CLIFFHANGER OF THE YEAR – CARL GRIMES GETS SHOT IN THE FACE IN WALKING DEAD #83

In comics best cliffhanger of the year, "The Walking Dead's" Carl Grimes takes a bullet to the fact, proving once again that nobody is safe from wrtier Robert Kirkman.

If there is one thing that Robert Kirkman has proven over the years that he has been writing his epic horror series The Walking Dead is that no matter how important of a character someone may seem to be, nobody is safe.  Kirkman has no problems killing major characters, and at one time slaughtered nearly the entire cast of The Walking Dead in a stand off between Rick Grimes’ band of survivors and the villainous Governor and his followers.  As a result, Kirkman has always been able to keep readers on their toes by being continuously unpredictable and writing some of the best cliffhangers in comic book history.

This summer Kirkman really pulled out all the punches within the pages of The Walking Dead #83 when the walled community where Rick and the rest of the survivors had been living comfortably for months was overrun by a zombie attack.  In an attempt to escape the town, Rick, his son Carl, his new lover Jessie and her son Ron attempt to outrun the zombies.  However, when Ron is overrun by the flesh eaters, Jessie attempts to save him but, in the process, holds Carl back.  Only two issues after establishing their relationship, Rick is forced to choose between Carl and Jessie and in a brutal split second decision sacrifices Jessie to the hungry zombies by hacking off her hand with an axe in order to free his son from her grip.  Yet, moments later it seems that all was in vain when the communities’ fallen leader Douglas appears waving a gun and randomly firing it at zombies.  As he gets devoured, Rick turns around to find out that Carl has had half of his face blown off by a stray bullet from Douglas’ gun.  Overcome by zombies, Rick is forced to retreat back to the houses with his dying son in his arms, and brings him to the communities doctor Denise, begging for her to save Carl’s life while zombies rampage outside.

So does Carl live or die?  Well fan boys, you’ll have to get your hands on The Walking Dead #84 or wait for the trade paperback of No Way Out to find out for yourself.  But there is no denying that Robert Kirkman still has the ability to write the most exciting cliffhangers in comics today, leaving readers breathless and clamoring for the next issue each month.

BEST OF 2011

COMICS

PART 1

Possibly one of the most eventful years in comic history, 2011 saw comics come further into the mainstream via film, television and news headlines causing many publishers to step things up a notch in order to compete in an ever struggling market by creating hew markets, new gimmicks and new ways to read comics.  Critics have said for years that the comic book industry is dying, but 2011 proved that it is still thriving.

BEST COMIC OF 2011 – FLY

Never before has the subject of drug addicition been tackled so effectivly as in Zenescope Entertainments "Fly" by Raven Gregory and Eric J

Published by Zenescope Entertainment, Raven Gregory’s Fly is a true genre bending comic unlike anything that has ever been written before.  Filled with horror, suspense, drama and romance, Fly is something completely different.  One of the rawest and most daring books ever written, Fly is easily the best new comic series of 2011.

Stories dealing with the subject of drug abuse have been a part of the comic book landscape since Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams’ classic look on the subject in Green Lantern/Green Arrow (“My ward is a JUNKIE!”).  However, while some of them become classics, generally books dealing with drugs are preachy, unrealistic and pretentious.  The reason for this is simple.  They are generally not written by people who have actually been addicted to drugs, and have experienced first hand the effects that drugs have on a real life.  They are not men like Raven Gregory.  As a recovered meth addict, Raven Gregory watched addition tear apart his wife, his family and his life.,  In Fly, Gregory writes his most personal story yet, using the real life experiences of his own addiction as the backdrop for his comic about an addictive drug that gives a group of teenagers super powers.

Told in two timelines, Fly chronicles the past and present of three young adults who have had experience with a highly addictive drug, called Fly, that gives them the powers of flight, strength and speed.  The book’s hero, Eddie Patron, was a normal high school student when he helped defend the school’s rich and nerdy kid Francis from a pack of bullies.  In return Francis brought home Eddie and introduced him to Fly from his father’s stash.  Later Eddie uses his powers gained from the Fly to defend his girlfriend, Danielle, from being sexually abused by her stepfather, and introduces Danielle to the drug.  But in a darker future, Danielle, still addicted to the drug, relentlessly hunts Eddie, now a recovering addict, for a reason only known to the two of them related to their past.  Just how did the love between Eddie and Danielle die, what does it have to do with the Fly?  Meanwhile, a psychotic Fly addict hunts our characters with his own sinister agenda.

What is different about Fly compared to other books about drug addiction is that it breaks the stereotype of “the junkie.”  The primary leads of the book are three dimensional characters that you grow to love.  By understanding their past, you realize that they are, in fact, good kids despite their actions under the influence of Fly.  However, by getting in over their heads due to addiction, their futures have become dark and twisted.  While Danielle seems to be a cruel drug addict on a killer rampage in the future, it is hard not to fall in love her in the past, and despite the differences in their two natures, both past and present Danielle are realistically the same character. Eddie is a good kid who tries to do the right thing, but gets over his head, and there is a sense of pathos surrounding Francis who seems to be caught up in tragedy and death due to the drug he introduced to the others.  As a contrast to their innocent past and bleak future, artist Eric J draws the book in two distinct styles, choosing a dark realistic style dripping with violence and destruction for their future, and a more innocent cartoon like style for the past.

One of the best reads of 2011, Fly’s first arch is soon to be released in trade paperback, and although on a short hiatus, will return in 2012 for its second arch.  Don’t miss what is easily the most unique and powerful book of 2011 written with a sense of knowledge and honesty by the only man that could tell this story.  Raven Gregory’s Fly is truly a modern comic masterpiece.

COMPANY OF THE YEAR – ARCHIE COMICS

Archie caps off it's 70th Anniversary celebration with a visit from KISS, in one of the most supirsing team-ups of 2011

Once the perennial loser at the end of the comic hierarchy, over the last few years Archie Comics have had a series of victories and have made headlines earning the company a new found popularity and notoriety amongst comic readers.  However, unlike some companies, Archie Comics have never had to reboot everything to keep itself relevant nor interesting.  It is still headlined by the familiar characters that have been entertaining fans for generations – Archie, Jughead, Betty, Veronica, Reggie and the whole Riverdale gang.  But with the addition of a few new daring storylines and interesting characters, Archie Comic’s 70^th Anniversary has been a huge success.  From Archie’s gay character Kevin Keller getting his own hit mini-series, which will be spun off into his own on-going series in 2012 by creator Dan Parent, to a host of guest celebrities appearing through the Archie universe, including Simon Cowell, Jennifer Lopez, Mark Zuckenberg, JJ Abrams and, most recently, rock gods KISS, Archie Comics is continuing to create an industry buzz like it has never known before.

In the alternative timeline of "Life with Archie," Kevin Keller gets married in comics first ever gay marriage

Possibly one of the most joyful aspects of Archie’s 70^th Anniversary was its use of its full cast of characters, including spotlights on Josie and the Pussycats, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and even That Wilkin Boy Bingo Bradley.  Meanwhile, Lil’ Jinx and friends got a makeover in a brilliant digital comic by J Torres and outdated concepts like The Man from R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E. and Captain Pureheart were revisited and brought into the current century.  Possibly the best of the Archie books is still the magazine sized Life with Archie, by Paul Kupperberg and Fernando Ruiz,  featuring alternate timeline stories of Archie and the gang in their mid-twenties, where Archie is married to Betty and Veronica in their two different dimensions.  From Mister Weatherbee’s grief over the death of Mrs. Grundy, the destruction of Riverdale High, Archie’s separation from Veronica, Jughead’s marriage to Midge, the trial of Reggie Mantle, Veronica’s disappearance and the marriage of Kevin Keller in comics first ever same sex marriage, the two alternating stories have started to become linked via a plot featuring Dilton Doyle’s investigation to the connection between the two parallel timelines,  Life with Archie continues to push the Archie characters in directions never before expected while still staying true to the individual characterizations and still maintaining a certain status quo.

The only thing that was missed in 2011 was any appearances by classic Archie character Katy Keene.  Hopefully Katy will rejoin the Archie Universe in 2012.  However, what we do look forward to is an appearance by Lady Gaga in Betty and Veronica, and the return of Valerie Brown of Josie and the Pussycats who is sure to steam things up when she reunites with Archie Andrews in what is one of the most surprising romances in Archie’s 70 year history.  Everything you know about Archie is still the same, but Archie has never been better.  Still comics’ best kept secret, you don’t know what you are missing if Archie Comics are not on your pull list.

BEST BOOK YOU ARE NOT READING – RACHEL RISING

Terry Moore turns his attention to the supernatural in his latest book "Rachel Rising" - the best book you are not reading.

Released will little fanfare, Terry Moore’s Rachel Rising is one of the most intriguing new books in the comic book industry but has received hardly any buzz.  Best known for his independent masterpiece Strangers in Paradise, Moore ended his science fiction based follow up Echo earlier this year.  In Rachel Rising, his third series published by his own company Abstract Studios, Moore turns away from the crime and science fiction stories from his past and is delving into the world of horror and the supernatural for his newest story.

Rachel Beck is having a weird week.  Waking up in a shallow grave, she returns home to find that not only does she have a massive scar around her neck, but has lost three days of her life.  It seems that Rachel has been murdered, but has no idea who killed her or why.  Reanimated, Rachel turns to her transsexual uncle, Aunt Johnny, and her jazz musician best friend Jet to find help find her killer.  Making thing stranger is that Rachel can now predict who will be her killer’s next victim, and can’t be rekilled.  Meanwhile, Rachel has a mysterious doppelganger who is manipulating random citizens to kill their loved ones, and has a mysterious hold on a murderous little girl named Zoe.

With only five issues published thus far, Rachel Rising has plenty of story to be told and quaestions yet to be answered.  One of the best writers/artists in modern comics, Terry Moore is known for his ability to create endearing multi-dimensional characters and for his ability to slowly weave a story together, creating a world of mystery and intrigue.  Rachel Rising has barely gotten started but has already brought together a number of interesting characters and situations and deserves far more attention that it is currently receiving.

COMIC NEWS STORY OF THE YEAR – THE DCnU

Love it or hate it, the DCnU seems to be here to stay!

In what was possibly the most daring move in their history, DC Comics outraged and mystified its legion of fans this year when it totally deconstructed their entire universe by canceling all of their titles and starting their entire line of comics from scratch.  In the summer of 2011 Dan DiDio, Jim Lee and Geoff Johns announced that at the end of Flashpoint, that the DC Universe was going to be rebooted…or was it?  Seems that nobody was able to agree if it was a hard reboot or a soft reboot.  It seemed that while some successful franchises (Batman, Green Lantern) would stay the same, others (Superman, Teen Titans) would be getting a massive over haul.  DC’s entire stable of characters were redesigned, everything was cancelled and in September 2011 52 brand new books were released on the market.  A daring move from one of comic’s biggest companies.

Now all of us can own a copy of Action Comics #1...but at the cost of DC giving up its legacy titles as a result of new numbering.

But was it a good idea?  There is no doubt that something had to be done at DC.  Despite having some of the best characters and most iconic franchises in the industry, DC Comics seemed to be losing its steam in recent years, and the books were….well….kind of dull.  Speaking as a DC reader, I was buying the books out of habit and loyalty, but not out of pure enjoyment.  Despite being a controversial move which was initially welcomed with a wave of negativity by long time comic fans, the overhaul did ignite a lot of excitement amongst everyone in the comic industry.  Five months into the DCnU it is clear that there have been pros and cons to the reboot.  Sales for DC have certainly increased and, once again, DC Comics is at the top of the heap.  The reboot also made international headlines beyond the comic book subculture, bringing new readers into the comic store.  It seems that the true success has come from what the individual creators desire to do with the characters.  Some have opted to continue them as the characters that we know and love, while others have all but thrown out decades worth of continuity and fan favorite franchises to create their own take on characters and concepts.  In some cases (Superman, Wonder Woman) it has worked.  In others (Blackhawk, Green Arrow) it has not.  Time will tell if the DCnU maintains its popularity, but there is no denying that the DCnU is, without a doubt, one of the riskiest marketing moves that any major comic book company has ever come up with.

MOST SUPRISING BREAKOUT CHARACTER OF 2011 – AQUAMAN

Aquaman a bad ass? Seems Jeffery Danger was right all along.

In 2011 Aquaman became cool.  Once the whipping boy of the comic book industry, Aquaman has always been the bunt of every comic book joke for his super lameness and for talking to fish.  Over the decades writers have relentlessly tried to make Aquaman more cutting edge by chopping off his hand, making him look like a lost mariner, killing him, resurrecting him and even giving him magical powers.  But in 2011 it took Geoff Johns to make Aquaman cool by doing something that most writers never thought about doing – bringing him back to basics.  Instead of recreating or revamping Aquaman, Johns put his stamp on the King of Atlantis by writing a good story and giving him some three dimensional characterization.  Brilliant!

With a dash of humor, heroics and horror, Geoff Johns’ Aquaman made it’s debut with the rest of the DCnU in September 2011 and, for most intents and purposes, was pretty much the same character that fans remembered from before the relaunch.  Resurrected as part of the Blackest Night/Brightest Day titles, Aquaman and his wife Mera attempt a new life on the mainland, taking up in a lighthouse on the American East Coast.  What makes this Aquaman title so good is the fact that Geoff Johns tackles the issues of Aqaqman’s lameness head on, making Aquaman face the public’s misconceptions about his usefulness and gives new explanations for his powers.  As a Aquaman fights for his dignity amongst a public that doesn’t believe in him, his true value comes to the forefront, and Aquaman once again rises as not only a hero amongst men, but sort of a total bad ass in orange and green.  From taking out marauding bank robbers, to saving the Eastern seaboard from cannibal mutant fish (yes…cannibal mutant fish), Aquaman kicks tons of ass.  Who would have thought it?  The new Aquaman is, without a doubt, the nicest surprise of 2011.